Vacuum drying apparatus.



No. 683,!89. Patented Sept. 24, I901;

4E. STORCH. VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS. (Appllcatxon filed Oct 24, 1898 Renewed July 15, 1901 (No Model.)

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NlTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST STOROH, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

VACUUM DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,189, dated September 24, 1901.

Application filed October 24,1898. Renewed July 15,1901. Serial No. 68,439. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST STORCH, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements in Vacuum Drying Appara= tus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a novel construction of vacuum drying apparatus, the object beng to provide an apparatus of this kind in which a plurality of heaters are employed, such heaters or trays at the same time allowing of dispensing with the usual braces employed for strengthening the walls of the apparatus, and, further, so arranging said trays as to permit a quick outflow of the air and the Vapors both at the top and the bottom of the apparatus; and the invention consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In order that this my invention may be the more readily and properly understood and carried into practical effect, I have shown one embodiment of same in the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view of same.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts throughout the figures, A designates the main casing of my improved vacuum drying apparatus, said casin g being of any shape and suitable dimensions. Within this casing is a plurality of closed trays or boxes H, horizon-tally arranged one above the other at suitable points and resting on brackets h, secured to casing A. The heating medium or fluid is led to said trays or boxes through pipe B and therefrom through pipe 0.

The apparatus is closed in an absolute air tight manner at i by a door or several doors T.

The casing A is provided with a top outflow-opening E and a bottom outflow-opening F for the air and gases which are to be expelled from the drying apparatus. Said openings are provided with pipes E and F, respectively, leading to a suitable air-pump, condenser, or any sucking device or machine capable of producing high vacuum within the apparatus.

The pipes E and F may extend from the drying apparatus in any preferred manner;

but I preferably join said pipes together, as shown in the drawings, in turning pipe F upward to pipe E. In this case to facilitate the flow of the gases through said pipe F, I heat the same in any suitable manner. For this purpose I may provide an inner pipe R of smaller diameter or an outer jacket B, said pipe Rand jacket R receiving the heating medium at 0, said medium or fluid being led therefrom at 0.

I preferably provide nozzle-like pipes D leading from opening E and being arranged within the suction-pipe E, thereby tending to produce more or less of an aspirating effect in the drawing off of the vapors from the apparatus.

A very high pressure being produced on the walls of an apparatus of this kind, (nearly one kilogram per square centimeter,) said walls were heretofore strongly braced to withstand the strain to which they were subjected. Such bracing is very objectionable in a great many particulars, among which I state the following: First, said bracing increases the weight of the apparatus and makes its man ufacture a very expensive one; second, inner strengthening-ribs hinder the quick flow of the evolved gases to the condenser, whereby the drying action of the apparatus will be disadvantageously influenced,and, third, if such bracing is employed the dimensions of the apparatus are limited, since for larger apparatuses said bracing would be excessive and irrational. These and many other objections are overcome with the apparatus herein de-' scribed by the use of heating trays or boxes H, forming very strong tubular trusses and adapted and constructed to strengthen the walls of the apparatus and to relieve said walls from the pressure produced thereon. For this purpose said trays or boxes are supported at determinate points P, against which the walls of the apparatus are pressed, and said supporting-points may be suitably determined, so thatI may employ comparatively thin walls of sheet-iron. Furthermore, with the usual apparatuses the air and gases can only be drawn out at the uppermost point thereof; but a great deal of the vapors with in such apparatus travel downward on account of their gravity,and these vapors must be heated again to a sufficient degree to rise nation with a casing, of a vapor-outlet pipe having branches leading from the upper and lower parts of the casing that from the lower part leading upward and joining the other branch, and means for heating the said upwardly-extending pipe.

ERNST STOROI-I.

Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER, G. H. DAY. 

